The first time I'd stood nervously at the start of a race since primary school sports day was in October 2008 for the Wimbledon 10K. I'd started running just six months earliers, first run/walk-ing on a treadmill and then building up to running a mile without stopping outside.The furthest I'd run when I lined up [...]
Feeling bad because you don't want to train today? Don't worry because even Olympians feel that way too sometimes. The difference is that they train anyway. I met Hannah Macleod of the GB Hockey team at the launch of Yakult's Little Book of Fitness who told me how she motivates herself to train when she'd rather [...]
"Laura, have you painted your nails yet?" It was the night before the wedding of one of my oldest friends and I was due to be bridesmaid. The dress was very nice and so were the shoes the bride had picked for me, but unfortunately they were open toe and my feet were still battered [...]
Refresh the BBC weather page all you want in race week but it isn't going to change a thing. Trust me I've tried. It was a long train ride from London to Edinburgh for the marathon and I wasn't going to let a bit of sun and 24 degree heat stop me from making it [...]
Stomachs don't come more cast iron than mine. At Brighton Marathon 2012, SportyGirl marvelled at my ability to ingest every sugary drink, energy gel and jelly bean handed to me (including those that were being given out by grubby-handed kids) without feeling any ill effects other than hyperactivity. But this isn't the case for everyone [...]
A peculiar thing happens to runners when injured: the urge to run becomes stronger than ever. Runners who put off their long run until the last minute on a Sunday, procrastinating like a teenager avoiding their weekend homework, in the face of the word 'rest' suddenly have an itch that needs scratching and that itch [...]
Want to do something for charity but don't want to reach for the sponsorship form? Fear not. Samsung is asking you to run just one mile (or more). For every mile you run they will donate £1 to good causes.In the UK that money goes to Kids' Company, a really great charity supporting some of [...]
Nose clip? Check. Goggles? Check. Condom-style hat? You bet ya! This can all only mean one thing... I've given up all hope of ever having nice hair ever again and decided to get better at swimming.When I say 'get better at swimming' it pretty much means 'learn to swim', because what I do when submerged [...]
They're a demanding bunch the gods of the marathon. Not content with taking your weekends, your sofa time and your money they demand more. This weekend I've prayed at the marathon altar and made two significant sacrifices in the hope of marathon glory.Friday night, it was time for a new pair of heels. But black [...]
Forget everything I've said about how you should go out running when you first think about it and get it over and done with, because on Sunday more procrastination was needed. In fact more procrastination would have saved me from a most peculiar running injury. In case you didn't look out a window at the [...]